It's 2032, and anarchist impresario Leo wages war on San Francisco Big Tech with his guerrilla art organization, the Chaos Order. After being arrested for sabotaging the virtual reality company HERE's property, Leo's closest acolytes, Evan and Lydia, take two different paths. Evan joins HERE to avoid legal consequences and to bring the spirit of the Chaos Order to the default world through a revolutionary immersive narrative game. Lydia plunges deeper into her relationship with the increasingly unstable Leo, whose revenge against Evan brings the Order into rising conflict with HERE. Told from Evan's and Lydia's alternating points of view, Zone Trip weaves through Leo's psychological manipulation of his followers, Evan's defection to the enemy's side, and the devastating consequences of Lydia's love for the Pan-like Leo.
What sets ZONE TRIP apart from other technothrillers is its nuanced exploration of the complex motivations and inner lives of its characters. Rather than relying on easy plot devices or stereotypical characterizations, ZONE TRIP challenges readers to grapple with the messy, contradictory, and often uncomfortable realities of human agency in a world dominated by technology. With its fast-paced narrative and emotionally resonant characters, ZONE TRIP is a unique and compelling addition to the technothriller genre.
Advance Praise for Zone Trip
I love your voice, the themes, and the characters. It's an incredible feat, and I know this book will delight readers. - Suzy Vitello, Author of Faultland and The Empress Chronicles
Your link between anarchism and absurdism is well-established. Leo seems to be a true anarchist in that his goal is the absurdity, the subversion of expectations, and the dismantling of the system in the name of free artistic expression. - Daniel DeCillis, Ph.D. of Philosophy
Zone Trip is a haunting story that just breaks my heart. The immersive setting, colorful characters, sense of loss, and transcendence at the end? What a ride. It's Tom Robbins, Ken Kesey, and Max Barry filtered through a Chuck Palahniuk lens. - Richard Thomas, author of Spontaneous Human Combustion, a Bram Stoker Award finalist
Active, urgent, and evocative. - Francesca Lia Block, Author of Weetzie Bat